The Little Red Hen

About 4 months ago I was hanging out with a friend near Greenlake at night and happened to poke my head into The Little Red Hen. I felt like I'd gone back in time or at the very least that I wasn't in Seattle, but in some bar in an out of the way place in Montana. Country Western all the way. I decided that I'd have to return to that place to really experience it. Last night I had my chance when I convinced a friend to go with me. A $5 cover was all it took to transport us back in time and place. We were no longer in the Greenlake neighborhood. Here there couples dancing country western style to crooning band called "The Swains". I spyed a pinpall machine in the corner. Oh Boy! I love pinpall. So I played a few rounds. It was the coolest machine; much better than the one I played in the basement of my dorm in college. The walls announced pulltab numbers while the beer kept on coming. I even got to dance although I fell when I took a dip because the guy I was dancing with couldn't hold on. My friend and I sat at a table with some 60 somethings. Hard to believe they were locals....we they weren't quite. Two from Everett and one couple from Kenmore. They had their war stories....one did literally....was an ex-navy man and pulled out a pic of himself at age 18 to prove it. Another had worked the oil fields in Alaska and has copies of huge checks to prove it. It was an experience I would never have expected to have in Seattle, particularly upscale Greenlake which is now surrounded by cranes and holes in the ground to announce yet more condos amongst the condos that are already there. The Little Red Hen--a gem among the swank stands out like a old black and white photo among the brightly colored ones that have been cut and sized on a machine from your digital camera. Let's hope it continues as a reminder of Seattle's past.